Each financial year the Fair Work Commission's Expert Panel for annual wage reviews conducts an annual wage review, and issues a decision and national minimum wage order for employees not covered by an award or agreement. The decision and order generally come into operation on 1 July of the following financial year.

The annual wage review directly affects employees in the national system who are either:

An apprenticeship is a type of formal training arrangement that combines work with study for a qualification. These arrangements have to be registered with an appropriate state or territory training authority. Apprenticeships allow you to study for a trade qualification, for example as a carpenter or plumber. It will take approximately 3-4 years to complete an apprenticeship.

Base rate of pay is a term which refers to an employee’s rate of pay for an entitlement under the National Employment Standards. The base rate of pay is the rate of pay payable to the employee for his or her ordinary hours of work, but does not include any of the following:

The BCIIP Act gives a relatively broad definition of 'building work'. It covers a number of things:

Any of the following activities when relating to buildings, structures or works that, permanently or not, form (or are to form) part of the land:

construction

alteration

extension

restoration

repair

demolition

dismantling.

The same activities listed above, when relating to railways (not including rolling stock) and docks.

The installation of fittings in any building, structure or works that form (or are to form) part of land, such as:

heating

lighting

air-conditioning

ventilation

power supply

drainage

sanitation

water supply

fire protection

security

communications systems.

Any operation that is part of any of the work described above, including:

site clearance, earth-moving, excavation, tunnelling or boring

the laying of foundations

the erection, maintenance or dismantling of scaffolding

the on-site prefabrication of made to-order components to form part of any building, structure or works

site restoration, landscaping or the provision of roadways and other access works.

Transporting or supplying goods to be used in any of the work described above directly to building sites.

The Code applies the definition of building work in the BCIIP Act with two exceptions. The following types of building work are not subject to the Code:

the off-site prefabrication of made-to-order components to form part of any building, structure or works, unless that work is performed on an auxiliary or holding site that is separate from the primary construction site or sites.

the transportation or supply of goods to be used for any of the work mentioned above (in the BCIIP Act definition of 'building work'), directly to building sites (including any resources platform) where that work is being or may be performed.

C

A code covered entity is a building contractor or building industry participant that has submitted an expression of interest (EOI) or tender (howsoever described) for Commonwealth funded building work on or after 2 December 2016, and therefore become subject to the Building Code 2016.

Casual loading is a higher hourly pay rate that is paid to casual employees than equivalent full-time or part-time employees. It is paid because casual employees usually don't get benefits such as sick or annual leave.

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) promotes harmonious, productive and cooperative workplaces. They help employees, employers, contractors and the community to understand and comply with Australia's workplace laws. They provide information and advice, investigate workplace complaints and enforce Commonwealth workplace laws.

A ‘funding recipient’ refers to any entity to which the Commonwealth provides funding or assistance for building work that’s covered by the Code. Generally, a funding recipient is a state or territory government.

G

A greenfields agreement is an enterprise agreement that is made in relation to a new enterprise of the employer or employers before any employees are employed in the new enterprise. This can either be a single enterprise agreement or a multi-enterprise agreement. The parties to a greenfields agreement are the employer (or employers in a multi enterprise greenfields agreement) and one or more relevant employee associations (usually a trade union).

I

M

A multi-enterprise agreement is made between two or more employers (that are not all single interest employers) and employees employed at the time the agreement is made and who will be covered by the agreement.

O

P

The Fair Work Commission can make a protected action ballot order as a result of a protected action ballot application being made. A protected action ballot to authorise industrial action must be undertaken before industrial action can be lawfully taken, except where the action is in response to industrial action by the other party in enterprise bargaining.An application for ballot must:

be made by one or more bargaining representatives of an employee who will be covered by a proposed enterprise agreement which is not a greenfields or multi-enterprise agreement

not be made more than 30 days before the nominal expiry date of any existing agreement

if the applicant wishes someone other than the AEC to conduct the ballot (called a ballot agent), specify the name of that person.

R

Under the 2016 Code, an entity is a related entity of a code covered entity if the second entity is engaged in building work and is either:• connected with the code covered entity by being a member of the entity• an associated entity (within the meaning of section 50AAA of the Corporations Act 2001) of the code covered entity.

S

A single-enterprise agreement is made between a single employer (or two or more single interest employers) and employees employed at the time the agreement is made, and who will be covered by the agreement. Single interest employers are employers that are in a joint venture or common enterprise or are related corporations. They can also be employers authorised as single interest employers by the Fair Work Commission, which may be either franchisees or other employers where the Minister for Employment has made a declaration.